One thing I’ve realized since starting with Twitter is that most folks really don’t take it that seriously.   I can understand why that is, Twitter seems like just a silly way to chat and hang out with online friends.  But it can be so much more when properly used!

Most people don’t take advantage of all the tools at their disposal when it comes to Twitter to promote their online presence and by extension their online brand.  One extremely important thing they can do on Twitter is by creating a custom background image for their twitter page.  A custom background image helps you to promote your blogs, spread your contact info, and even connect a bit more with your readers.

Problogger had a guest post on his new twitter blog recently that stressed the importance of adding a custom background image to make you stand out. Let’s look a little bit more at adding a custom background image below.

Adding a custom background on Twitter

First, let’s discuss the mechanics of adding a custom background to your twitter page. It’s relatively easy to do, just follow these steps.

1. Select the “Settings” link in the top right row at the top of your Twitter page.
2. Click on the “Design” tab and then click on “Change background image“.
3. Select your new background image, and click “save changes” to upload. (Images must be smaller than 800k. GIF, JPG, PNG. The smaller the file size, the better in my opinion)
4. Change the color settings of your twitter page to complement your new background image. Click on “change design colors” and select colors that complement your design.
5. Save your changes, and enjoy your new custom background!

What goals should I have with my custom background?

When I setup my new custom background image, I had several goals I wanted to achieve.

1. Build my brand: I used the custom background image to build my brand and stress my online presence. To do that I kept the colors and design consistent with the colors and design on my blog, tweetertips.com.
2. Personalize your page and connect with readers: To personalize the custom background you can add a photo of yourself, or do a custom logo of some sort for your site.
3. Let them know how to connect with you by including a “business card”: On my custom background I have a “connections square” or “business card” thanking people for connecting with me on twitter, and letting them know of a few other places that we can connect. I’ve included the urls of my 3 websites, urls to my plurk and friendfeed profiles, as well as an invitation to consider using me to design a logo for their website through my design blog at http://www.logosforwebsites.com. In addition to adding contact info to your background image you’ll want to add your main site URL to your twitter profile as well. I’ve found quite a few people connecting to my sites this way.
   
4. Make it pleasing to the eye: I always want to make my twitter profile pages pleasing to the eye. While having a nice looking background image may not get people to follow you or keep them around, the lack of an eye pleasing design can definitely keep them from sticking around. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve decided not to follow someone because their profile background image is cluttered, distracting or otherwise offensive to the eye.

Want your own custom designed Twitter background?

I have designed quite a few custom Twitter background images now through my other website, logosforwebsites.com , and people have been pretty happy with the results. Here are a few of the designs that I’ve done:

• http://twitter.com/moneymatters
• http://twitter.com/thatonecaveman
• http://twitter.com/jnickles
• http://twitter.com/frugaldad
• http://twitter.com/ncheapskate

Want to get your own custom background image designed for your Twitter page? Just go to this page and click on the link to purchase a “custom twitter background” for $25. Once you’ve paid, go to this page and let me know what things you want included in your custom background. You’ll have your new background image up and running in no time!

Even if you don’t use me to design your custom background, you should consider setting up a nice background for your twitter page. It’ll make your presence seem more professional, help people connect to your online presence and in the end bring more people to your blog.

What do you think about adding a custom background image? Do you think it makes a difference? Do you have one on your twitter page?

Stand Out From The Crowd On Twitter: Use A Custom Background is a post from: Tweeter Tips

When you start using Twitter you may not always have an idea about what types of things people are looking for in a good twitter user.  How can you add value to the twitterspace?

If you’re not careful you can find yourself being unfollowed by other users.  Here are 10 things you can avoid doing to ensure that people don’t stop following you.

10 Things That Will Get You Unfollowed On Twitter

1. Constantly twittering about mundane things:  Things like – “my coffee is hot” or “just got on the bus” are not really that interesting to anyone else.
2. Never twittering at all:  You set up an account, post one tweet about how you’re trying twitter, and then disappear.  Quick unfollow.
3. Using your twitter account only to spam people with announcements of your newest blog post: Your twitter account doesn’t seem to have a real person, just occasional updates from a twitter bot.
   
4. @reply to every twitter you see, but without adding any real value:  You constantly twitter replying to every twitterstream you find, adding no real substance to any of the conversations you’re joining.  You’re tweeting just to hear yourself tweet!
5. Sending a robot greeting to all new followers: Is it just me that finds it annoying when i start following someone, and I get an automatic direct message telling me about a great new service, or how I should check out someone’s site?  I prefer a personal touch, or none at all!
6. Having no avatar and little profile information: Your account doesn’t look like you’re in it for the long haul. You just signed up, did a few tweets, and that’s it. You have no profile information, no avatar, no custom background.  You’re tweeting on borrowed time.
7. Being offensive or rude: If you constantly swear, or are offensive in your tweets, I’ll unfollow you ASAP.  I don’t have time for that kind of negativity.
8. Your profile calls you a social media expert, but your tweets don’t back it up:  You talk about how you’re an SEO or social media expert, but your tweets make you sound like you’re a bit slow.
9. You constantly talk about how you don’t get “this twitter thing”: We don’t care that you don’t understand twitter! Just start using it, read a tutorial or two, and get going!
10. You only have one tweet, and it is asking me if I want to learn how to make $15,000/month using google!:  You sign up for twitter from your internet cafe in Nigeria and talk about how you can help me earn $15,000/month or more in this secret scheme!  Unfollow!

Those are a few of my pet peeves, and reasons why I will unfollow someone on Twitter.

How Do I Know When I’ve Been Unfollowed?

Want to figure out why people are unfollowing you? Was it something you said?  Sign up for a service like Qwitter.  Qwitter will email you after someone unfollows you along with telling you what you twittered right before they quit.  Maybe you said something offensive, or just tweeted “going home from work” for the 10th straight time.  It will help you to figure out where you’re going wrong and change your tweeting habits so that more people will want to follow you!

What are some reasons you unfollow people?  What makes someone a good twitter user, and makes you want to follow them?

10 Things That Will Get You Unfollowed On Twitter is a post from: Tweeter Tips

When you talk to people who aren’t familiar with Twitter they often think that Twitter is just for people who like wasting time chatting away with their online buddies.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  More and more people are using Twitter creatively, for things like finding a job.

Twitter Job Hunt

Before I signed up for Twitter I was skeptical that it had any other uses besides wasting time as well. But since I joined I realized that it’s so much more. It’s a way to share information, to connect and to network. Essentially it helps you to become a part of the larger world around you. And since one of the biggest things you need to do when looking for a job is networking, Twitter can be effective at helping you to make the connections you need when trying to find a job.

So what are some things you need to remember when you’re looking for a job through Twitter?

• Try to use your real name: On the account that you’re using for job hunting, try to have your account name be your real name.  Like @johndoe or @jdoe.  It will help you to connect with potential employers better than something like @CrazyMotha.
• Keep it professional: Try to keep your tweets on the job hunting account professional.  No one wants to hire someone who regularly uses profane or inappropriate language.  Also try to make sure you’re using correct English.
• Write and update your profile:  When you’re setting up an account, make sure to fill out the bio information and let potential employers know a little about yourself.   Try to write it so as to create common ground with your employers – express an interest in your field in the bio.
• Link to your professional or personal blog:  Link to your blog so that the potential employer can find out more about you than you can tell in a short bio or in a 140 character tweet.  Remember to link to the blog only if it is something you would want them to see.
• Put up a custom twitter background: Use a custom twitter background to give more information about yourself that you might not be able to fit onto your bio.  Include information like other social media profiles (linked-in for example), email address and other contact info as well as photos.
• Start twittering professionally BEFORE you  need a job:    Don’t setup an account on Twitter, Linked-in and other services only after you need a job.  Plan ahead for the future, and start using the services now.  It will help you build a following and seem less desperate down the road if you actually do need to find a job.

Some concrete ways you can use Twitter as a job searching tool:

• Sign up for updates for job alert twitter accounts:  There are a  ton of  Twitter accounts out there that you can start following that will announce open positions in certain niches.  For example, this twitter account for @GetTeaAssisJobs announces openings for teaching assistants.   Another example – @journalismjobs posts job openings for journalists.  Find one for your profession and start following!
• Start twittering about your field, display your expertise:  Use your account to tweet about your field, and display your knowledge or expertise through your twitterstream.  Others will begin to recognize that you are an expert in your field.   Have an opinion about important topics, and let people know about it.
• Search out and network with other Twitter users in your field: Whatever field you’re currently working in, there are probably hundreds of other users in your field using Twitter.  Search out and follow other the big names and recruiters in  your field.   Chat with them, talk about your field, and ask about job openings they might know about.
• Be helpful and responsive in your tweets:  When using twitter be sure to respond to @replies and be helpful to other Twitter users.  Everyone loves a helpful tweeter!
• Announce that you’re looking for a job!:  If you’re actively looking for a job, announce it on your twitter stream.   Someone following you may know of an opening, and can direct you to the right person to talk to. If you never tweet that you’re looking, they may not know!

A Twitter Job Search Success Story

I was reading some other blogs in order to find some Twitter  job hunt success stories.  Here is an example of one of those:

A couple months ago, I was laid off as part of the economic crisis.

Imagine my excitement.

After the initial shock wore off, I wrote in my Facebook status and tweeted that I was looking for a job in web product management. Within minutes, many people from my network contacted me and asked me for my resume.

A couple hours later, I received a reply from someone who was following me.  I wasn’t following her. I had never met her before. I had never spoken to her before. I’m pretty sure I had never seen her name before. Nonetheless, this absolutely perfect stranger who didn’t know me from a hole in the wall told me that another Twitter user was looking for a product manager and had me contact him. I sent him a tweet, and he asked me to email him my resume.

He is now my boss.

The end.

So there  you go, finding a job through Twitter can really work.  Just make sure that you start your account now, start tweeting and follow the tips on this post.  Hopefully you won’t need to find a new job, but if you do, you’ll be ready to use Twitter to your advantage in your next job search.

Other Links:

• Twitter Yourself A Job
• How Twitter Found Me A Job
• How To Use Twitter To Find Your Next Job

Another Use For Twitter: Find A New Job! is a post from: Tweeter Tips

If  you’re a blogger, and you’re not using Twitter, you really should.   It really has the potential to drive a lot of traffic to your site!

Darren Rowse of Problogger.net in a post on his blog talked about how people are only beginning to realize the potential for twitter.com driving traffic to their sites:

get on Twitter because it’s a pretty hot spot at the moment when it comes on online activity and I think the potential to drive a lot of traffic from there is still only just being realized. It’s a space that is still in it’s early days of development so get in early (even though it’s been a year or two since it launched) and position yourself for the future.

I agree with what he’s saying and through my own personal experience I know that Twitter can be one of the better traffic generators out there.  I’ve seen it with my other site, Bible Money Matters.   So without further ado, here is my list of 8 ways you can use Twitter to promote your blog or other online business:

1. Promote your blog content:  I use “Twitterfeed” to take the RSS feed of my blog(s) and have it send a quick post and link to my most recent post.  You need to be careful about doing this, however.  If you start sending too many blog posts every day, people will just start to think you’re a “spammer”.  Moderation is key.
2. Network with other bloggers and business people:  I’ve met so many other wonderful bloggers through twitter.  They’ve helped me to grow my online presence, and have given me a ton of good advice about what I was doing right, and what I was doing wrong.   Don’t underestimate the power of your extended twitter network!
3. Find blog topics!:  Coming up against writer’s block?  Not feeling inspired?  Ask your Twitter followers what to write about.   They’ll give you a good idea!  Even better, just find what others in your niche are twittering about, or find what the trending topics on twitter are. Blog about that!
4. Research and feedback: Trying to figure out what the most popular finance softwares are? Ask your followers!  Want to know what Twitter client to use? Find out what others are using!
5. Use it as a mini-blog:  There are times when I want to share something with my readers, but it isn’t long enough for a blog post.    Instead of blogging it, I micro-blog it on twitter.  Things like quotes, breaking news, tips etc.
6. Find new readers: Connect with other tweeters – and often times they’ll subscribe to your blog.  It’s a great way to find new readers for your blog – just chatting with people!
7. Use it to link to favorite articles:  Sometimes I’ll link to an article from my archive, or link to another blogger’s article.  So, I either send readers to my own site, or help out other bloggers.  Often they return the favor and link to your articles!
8. Request social media linking:   If i have an article that I want to get traction, I’ll send it out to my twitter followers and ask them to submit it to their favorite social media hubs like Digg, Delicious, Reddit, Stumbleupon, etc.  It’s often a very powerful way to get a rush of traffic to your blog!

These are just a few of the ways that I’m using Twitter as a part of my social media blog strategy.   The more I do these things, the more strategies I learn!

What are some ways you’re using Twitter to promote your blog, business or other online presence?

8 Ways You can Use Twitter To Promote Your Blog or Business is a post from: Tweeter Tips

Twitter For Business is a post from: Tweeter Tips